Love, Life and Tragedy
by DuskyGurl
Summary: Rose/Lissa captured by Dimitri/other guardians. Dimitri and Rose fall in love like normal, but they have to undergo stressful events. How much can they take before they're shoved over edge? SAME PLOT, but I'm redoing the story again. Be patient!
1. Chapter 1

I walked across campus. It had been almost three weeks since my best friend Lissa and I had been caught by the guardians and brought back to St. Vladimir's school for Moroi and dhampirs. We were both holding up as best we could, but it was hard with all the stares we've been getting. Mia Rinaldi was a Moroi, year younger than both Lissa and I, and has been making both our lives a living hell with her bitchiness.

Lissa appeared to be holding up apart from a few comments from people and stares. But, the others seemed to remember how cool she was and started hanging out with her. Don't get me wrong, I had some friends too, but I just didn't have the time to hang out with them, what with my classes and extra training sessions with Guardian Dimitri Belikov. He was a total badass, not to mention a Russian hottie. Of course, he was my mentor, so that kind of put seducing him off my list.

I made it to the gym doors and slipped in. It was my after school practice. I had considered either ditching or just showing up for the hell of it. Apparently, the latter won out. Dimitri was sitting against the wall, reading one of his western novels. I studied him, loving his dark hair, his very tall, muscular build, and dark eyes. I knew he could feel me watching him, but he didn't look up.

"Rose, staring at me isn't helping anything. You know what to do." That was all he said to acknowledge me.

Ever since Victor Dashkov had put us under a lust spell not even a week ago, he'd been acting distant, more like my mentor. See, Victor Dashkov was a Royal Moroi, but he found out before anyone else (except me), that Lissa was a spirit user and could heal. The bastard had put me and Dimitri under a lust spell so he could kidnap her and have her heal the disease out of him.

He succeeded for a while, but Dimitri figured out the spell before he could get any further than taking our clothes off, which led us to telling the guardians and launching a rescue mission. SO, yeah, my love life was currently a mess.

I still wasn't sure if he felt the same way about me like I felt about him. I was the biggest flirt and hooked up with guys my age, but they were nothing, nothing compare to what I felt about Dimitri. I felt like he understood a part of me I didn't and vice versa, such as me figuring out he fought for self control everyday….

I sighed and dropped my backpack off in the corner, taking a quick drink of water and then jogging out onto the track. Laps were typical, and I still didn't see the point of them quite yet. What did running have to do with anything? But, even though I wasn't a fan, I saw some help with it…I rounded my last lap and sped up, crossing the finish line and then making my way back into the gym.

Dimitri was waiting on the mats, arms crossed. It looked like I would be sparring with him, one of my favorite things to do, besides kiss those soft, gorgeous lips. _Focus, Rose, _I scolded myself. I took up my stance and nodded at him when I was ready.

He wasted no time in taking the offense. His fist struck out, almost hitting my head, but I deflected it swiftly. I loved to fight him, but it was sometimes impossible to keep up with him, keeping in mind the "God" comment from Mason, one of my dhampir friends.

He kept coming at me and I knew if I didn't take offensive soon, I would be pinned down to the ground. Determination ran through me as I planned a move in my head. It was a very risky one and I knew it, but that didn't stop me from using it.

I dodged his blows, but acted like I was giving in. I pretended I was getting tired and he came at me. Perfect. When he was close enough, I ducked under his arm and slammed full force into him. I managed to pin him from the element of surprise and I straddled his hips, holding my hands over my heart like I would a stake.

"Dead," I announced.

He looked utterly astonished. "Rose, what did you do?"

Crap, that wasn't the response I was hoping for. I felt my face fall, hating that he didn't appear to like the move. He appraised my face and then he seemed to realize that and explained.

"There's nothing wrong, Roza. It's just the fact that was very risky. What if I was Strigoi? You wouldn't be able to move fast enough, and aside from the fact you can't just slam into them without another thought. You could be bitten or killed. You might not get so lucky with that move."

I sighed. "What is it with you and Zen Life lessons?"

Surprising me, he reached up and stroked a lock of my hair, obviously lost in thought. "I suppose it helps you learn control better…."

His fingers tangled themselves in my hair and I was suddenly lost for words, wanting nothing more, but for him to kiss me. His other hand wrapped around my waist and suddenly, I didn't want to be good anymore, and I didn't care what he said. I leaned down and pressed my mouth on his, kissing him.

He responded almost immediately and I was surprised when he let it go farther, tilting my head forward so he could reach me better. His tongue swept my lips, tracing them, tasting me. Soon, his control got the better of him and we both sighed at the same time. Our lips were still touching and moved together when he spoke.

"Roza, I think practice is over," he sounded breathless.

I got up and held out a hand, helping him up. When we were both upright, I stood up on my toes to reach his lips, pecking them. One more couldn't hurt. As I left, I glanced back, catching amusement in his eyes.

I was in a happy mood for once, as I made my way back to the dhampir dorms to shower. I knew that I was right: Dimitri _did _have feelings for me. He never showed them, even with our stolen kisses. I never knew what he felt since he was always stoic on the outside, guardian mask in place.

As I stepped into the hot shower, I decided to forget about that for awhile and figure out how to sneak past the dorm matron to go see Lissa….

A quick check of the bond, later, told me that she was in the library…with Christian Ozera, her boyfriend. She was waiting for me, like I had asked her to and when I entered, she looked up, studying me and then asking through the bond, _You look happy. _There was a hint of suspicion.

Out loud she said, "Hi, Rose. Long time no see," she teased me.

My extra training sessions with Dimitri, as well as being under house arrest, left me little time to talk with my friends. "How you holding up?" I asked softly.

She kept her face cheerful, but I could tell through the bond that Mia was still giving her trouble. "Everything's okay, Rose. Don't worry about me."

I narrowed my eyes at her. "Has Mia been bothering you at all?" I was really going to kill that girl. "Because if she is," I continued, "I'm going to kick that bitch's ass."

Christian answered. "Of course she is. She's giving Lissa a hard time still, but not as bad as when she first came back. But, she's also spreading rumors about you and Belikov having more than a student mentor relationship."

I felt myself grow cold. No, way. That bitch. "No," I whispered. Mia may be a bitch, but she wasn't very good at spying, and I knew I had nothing to worry about. Yet, there was some small part wondering how far she went with the rumor to get back at me.

"Rose," someone called from nearby.

Heads turned in my direction and I scowled when I saw Dimitri standing by the door, arms crossed. Shit, busted. I technically wasn't supposed to be anywhere in here when it wasn't for class or for meal time. Damn it.

I felt the other students staring, and I knew Mia had succeeded in making everyone watch me and Dimitri more because of the damn rumor. I saw him looking at me expectantly.

"Rose, I hope there's a good reason as to why you were in the library and not in your room. You have noticed that you are under house arrest, right?" he was goading me, I could just tell.

"Yeah, _Guardian Belikov _I _have _noticed. But, can't I see my own friend? That's just plain stupid."

I wanted to punch something or someone. Figuring I would get expelled for sure if I got into a fight, I was thinking more of punching an object. We entered the dhampir dorms and he escorted me back to my room. When we got there, I didn't bother unlocking the door, standing back with my arms crossed angrily.

He eyed me, but took out a set of keys and found one, sticking it in the keyhole and opening the door. I searched for something I could punch since a wall would hurt, but Dimitri's warm hand uncurled my fingers from the fist. "Roza, don't do anything you'll regret," he murmured.

He led me inside and shut the door, taking off his coat and draping it over my chair. I was surprised that he was staying, but I was in no mood to question him, slumping down onto my bed, not caring that he was still there.

**Okay, I think this sounds so much better. And thanks to Nadia Callanan for some suggestions on the sequel and I think it was twilighter5…something…who gave me suggestions on this thing. ~_^ Thanks guys.**

**SONGS:**

**Rain-Breaking Benjamin**

**I Will Not Bow-Breaking Benjamin**

**Torn In Two-After We Fall**

**Not Ready To Make Nice-Dixie Chicks**

**Fields Of Gold-Sting**

**Love Left To Lose-Sons Of Sylvia**


	2. Chapter 2

I felt his hand brush my hair off my shoulders. I didn't meet his eyes, just staring straight ahead at my wall. "I don't know why no one can accept that I didn't run away because I wanted to. It was because I had to. When I first came back, Stan made fun of me, which you saw. The Kirova punished me…" I let my sentence trail off.

He sighed. "Rose, you may have had the right intentions, but she's the last Dragomir, don't you think it's a little bit stupid—not to mention dangerous—to take her out into the world when you haven't even graduated yet?"

I mulled his words over in my head, trying to distract myself from the now growing darkness from spirit's effects. Ever since I had actually figured it out, I realized just how bad I acted around people: yelling, shouting, wanting to kill, to hurt…It was all so horrible that whenever I felt it, I needed some air.

Abruptly, I pushed off the bed and stalked to the door, needing some air. "Rose?" Dimitri questioned now right behind me.

I didn't know why he was following me. Didn't he see that stupid darkness trying to take over? I didn't say anything until I reached the door. I turned to face him. "Go away," I mumbled.

I opened the door and took off running, wondering if I could somehow run off the effects. Guess not, since I could still feel it stirring inside of me. I stalked out into the night, trying to fight it off. I was feeling snappy and tired. Lack of sleep and the darkness mixing together was not a pretty mixture…

"Hey, Rose," someone called.

Jesse and Ralf appeared. I took deep breaths as they approached. Jesse was a hot Moroi and I even hooked up with him once. Except, the week Lissa and I had come back, they had tortured her, trying to get the Dragomir princess to join their stupid club.

"What do you want?" I asked, trying to go for sounding bored.

Jesse had his trademark smirk on his face. "Just coming by to say hi. Is that a crime?"

"You are not here to say hi and we both know it. What do you really want to know?"

"Well," Ralf started. "Rumors going around that you and Belikov are screwing each other," he snickered.

I had heard the rumors and I refused to let them get to me. "Yeah? What makes you think that? HE's my mentor, nothing more." I hoped I sounded convincing.

He shrugged. "Well, you never know. After all, you do hook up with any guy at any time."

"Shut. Up. I do not. I hooked up with you, but I realize that was a total and complete mistake."

He looked angry. No doubt no girl he hooked up with said anything like that to him. Actually, I was pretty sure I was the only girl who didn't fall for his stupid tricks and get dumped by him the next day or something. I was probably the only girl he went out with that has ever said, "No," to him.

"You stupid whore," he stepped closer and Ralf on the other side. "You're just a bitch who's a stupid play thing for guys. Slut," he added at the end.

That was it. I lunged at him. I had just tackled Jesse, when Ralf came at me. I grabbed the other Moroi and threw him to the ground, pinning both of them. They were bigger and probably stronger, but I had years of actual training against Strigoi, I was a novice about to graduate, and I was being taught by the badass Russian God Dimitri.

"Rose!" The voice was sharp. Speak of the devil, I thought.

All three of us looked up and found Dimitri looming over us, arms crossed, expression unreadable."Get off Mr. Zeklos and Mr. Sarcozy. Now."

I was reluctant since I didn't get my revenge. I was fuming, remembering last time and that made me reach out and attempt to punch Jesse since he was closest. I curled my hand in a fist and was about to take a swing, when Dimitri caught it and pulled it back down, unclenching my fingers.

Why did he do that? Didn't he get that they had hurt Lissa and were spreading rumors about me and him throughout the school? Didn't he fucking see I had to get my revenge on them? Jesse and Ralf were smart and scurried off, unharmed, while Dimitri caught my arms and spun me around to face him.

I struggled against his tight hold, craning my head, watching as my two targets disappeared. Damn them. Damn them all. Mia was probably behind this. She probably screwed them herself so that she could get her way. And, yet, Jesse called _me _a freaking slut.

"Rose, what were you thinking? You could get expelled for attacking the Moroi, nonetheless two Royals? What's wrong with you?"

I twisted in his grip, almost getting free. "They need to hurt. They need to go through what Lissa did, only without the use of magic. I need to get my revenge!" I hissed.

Dimitri seemed taken back at my tone and words, but he dragged me off. I stumbled, trying hard to get away and track down those two bastards. Unfortunately for me, Dimitri was too strong and pushed me through my door to my room. I was surprised to find we were already there.

Too late, I realized that he locked it so I would get out, and that I was trapped in my room. I ran over to the door, banging on it and trying to undo the locks. Dimitri grabbed my waist and tossed me onto the bed, trapping me with his body.

"Let…me…GO!" I yelled.

He said nothing, pulling me to him and then crushing his lips to mine. My eyes widened, momentarily distracted, my body responding to him, but my mind telling me to fight him off. So I tried. He just kept kissing me until I felt the dark shadow leave my body…

When I kissed him back, he let it go on a little longer and then pulled away, his eyes appraising me. "Roza," he whispered.

I ducked my head, leaning it against his chest. I was beside him, Dimitri having let go of his hold so he could kiss me. I couldn't believe it. It was getting progressively worse. Now it crept into me whenever it wanted to…

"No," I breathed.

"Rose?"

"It's getting worse," tears stung my eyes as I remembered how I felt the dark stirring in me every day, making me snap at people. "All this time my bad mood was the darkness getting the best of me. I can't do anything about it anymore. It's…It's like I have no control over my body, my emotions, hell even just me in general." I rambled on, while Dimitri more or less listened.

When I was done and fell silent, he caught my chin and forced me to look up at him. "Rose, you're strong. I know you. I know you can fight it off no matter how bad."

He was telling me to have faith in myself, yet I just couldn't. "How can I be strong when it gets to me?"

"You're strong because you eventually let go of it and remember who you are."

**Sorry, but the ending sucks, but I needed to get an UD in for you guys. =) So I hope you like the changes. SEE YA!**

**SONGS:**

**Rain-Breaking Benjamin**

**Too Late-Dead By Sunrise**


	3. Chapter 3

He didn't stay long, saying he had to work tonight, but that he would be waiting for me at practice. He pressed his lips against my forehead without and word and then turned and left. I exhaled, letting out a huge, relieved breath, feeling much better now that I knew for sure I had Dimitri to help me through this. To help me through anything. It was a comforting thought even though he wasn't actually here.

I slipped into my pajamas and then crawled into bed, setting my alarm for practice tomorrow morning. I switched the light off and then closed my eyes, reveling in the darkness of my room as I tried to clear my head and go to sleep. It was hard to force thoughts of Dimitri out of my head, but eventually I must've did it because I was soon deep asleep.

Adrian didn't come to my dreams for once and I was glad. But, as the night wore on for me, I started feeling hot and sweaty. I kicked off the blankets and yanked the pillow over my head. It still didn't help and I finally sat up, running my hand through my hair, attempting to distract myself. My hair was tangled up from sleeping and I winced every time my fingers hit a snarl.

"What the hell is going on?" I muttered, throwing my legs over the side of my bed and carefully unlocking my door. I cracked it open, deciding to head to the bathrooms so I could splash cold water on my face and get something to drink.

I made it silently to the bathroom and felt relieved the dorm matron hadn't noticed me. I covered my face with ice cold water, feeling warm, but not feverish like before. Almost instantly, it started to fade and I was confused. I blinked at my reflection, startled. I could've sworn I thought my eyes were red for a split second like a….Strigoi…

Oh dear God. I widened my eyes as I stared into the mirror. I knew I was just being stupid since I was perfectly normal, and still a dhampir, but lately I had been feeling weird… "Shit!" I cursed out loud when I realized there was indeed a red tint to my normally brown eyes.

My heart pounded in my chest as I studied them one more time. Nothing changed. The red tint was still there and I was beginning to feel scared, which told me something was seriously wrong. For a moment, I thought about escaping out my dorm window and sneaking out for some fresh air, but decided against it, knowing in my heart that I needed Dimitri.

I pulled the door open, wincing when it creaked. The dorm matron looked over at me and I swore in my head as she stood up from where she was sitting in a chair and walked over to me.

"Miss Hathaway, there had better be a good reason as to why you're not in your room," she scolded.

She was staring straight at me, but apparently didn't notice anything different about my eyes. I faltered for a brief second, wondering what the hell was wrong with me. "I need to see Guardian Belikov."

She shot me a disapproving look. "I think he's in bed at this time, Miss Hathaway."

"Please?" I begged. "I need to talk to him."

The matron still looked suspicious. "And it can't wait? What's so important at this time of night?"

Damn it, she wasn't making this very easy. "It's guardian stuff. I need…to discuss something important with him."

She sighed and pulled out a phone. I waited while she spoke briefly into it. I just hoped that he wouldn't be mad at me for possibly waking him up so early in the morning. I bit my lip and pondered over what I could tell him. It was obviously too late to turn back since the matron had already called him.

"Miss Hathaway," her voice brought me out of my thoughts. "Guardian Belikov requests that you go upstairs and meet him. He's waiting for you."

That was all she said and I slipped past her and up the stairs to where I knew Dimitri would be waiting. As I walked down the hall that housed the guardians, I caught sight of him waiting expectantly for me. Without another thought, I raced over to him and he caught me as I collided with his lean muscled body.

"Rose?" He asked, bewildered. "What is wrong with you?"

"I really, really don't know," I answered truthfully, my voice muffled.

He sighed and pried me off of him. "Why don't we take a walk and you can tell me what's wrong," he told me softly.

I hated feeling so weak and vulnerable, but I couldn't help it. As we walked outside, I finally blurted out, "Do my eyes look weird to you?" I felt a flush over my cheeks as the cool breeze whispered against my hot, feverish skin.

He shot me a surprised look. "They seem normal…."

I shook my head. "No, look closely."

He grabbed my shoulders and leaned down at my level. "Nothing looks out of the ordinary…Rose, what's really going on with you lately?" A note in his voice told me that he was serious now.

I exhaled deeply and then started explaining to him. I told him that ever since Victor had escaped jail, I had been feeling very strange and noticed several different features that no one else seemed to notice. I also explained how I had been feeling very…off, lately and that I had been feeling sick and unable to sleep properly at night.

Dimitri listened without interrupting. "Have you talked to someone about this, Rose? It sounds serious."

I growled under my breath. "You don't get it! People will think it's just another 'Rose is crazy' situation. I already go mad from Lissa's darkness, I don't need this too!" I whined.

He stopped, facing me with arms crossed. "You really care about what people think when you're ill? Have you talked to Lissa about maybe it being something about her depression leaking in through the bond?"

I looked away. "I don't want to worry her," I whispered.

His hand coaxed my face up. "Roza, why did you come to me when you won't even go to Lissa?"

I wanted to avert my gaze again, but his brown eyes were hypnotizing, enthralling. "I-I guess it's because I trust you. You said I can come to you about anything." As soon as the words were out, I realized how stupid it sounded. "You know what? Never mind, I'm just being stupid and I'm sure you have other things to worry about. Forget it," I muttered, turning away and stalking in the direction of the dorms.

I heard his footsteps as he grabbed my arm, eyes blazing. "Don't assume anything. I'll help you, if you let me. I'm more than willing to help you with anything you want."

I turned back around to actually face him. "Trust _me _when I say I can't go to anyone else about this. Please."

He let go of me and ran a hand through his hair which I noticed wasn't tied back like usual. The silky, shoulder length hair fell around his face, making him appear even more mysterious and sexy. Damn it, I needed to focus on the task at hand, no on him.

"All right. For now. If this gets worse, I don't suggest you talk to someone, I will make you," he threatened.

I rolled my eyes, feeling more like my old self. "Yeah, yeah, Comrade. I got that down."

He frowned. "How many times do I have to tell you to quit calling me that?"

I grinned, loving how easy it was sometimes to tease him. "Oh come one. You know you like it," I taunted, hoping to get a smile out of him.

It worked. His lips lifted slightly. "You may never know that. Now, I think it's time for you to get back into bed. I'm cancelling training this morning; you need your sleep for school."

I made a face. "I hate school."

He chuckled. "I'm sure you do, now let's go. You need your rest and so do I."

**I was going to make it longer, but decided that it's long enough anyways. FINALLY I GOT THROUGH THE BLOCK FOR THIS CELEBRATioN TIME!**

**SONGS:**

**On Your Own—Green River Ordinance**

**Journey songs**

**And a bunch of others I cannot remember. ^^**


	4. Chapter 4

So that was that. I made it through the night without any interruptions. I had forgotten to turn off my alarm clock and that Dimitri had said there was no practice in the morning. So now—while I was trying to catch on my sleep—my alarm was going off. I was too lazy to reach over and turn it off, but eventually it got annoying and I brought my fist down on the snooze button. I sighed and rolled over, feeling restless and unable to sleep. It didn't have anything to do with the weirdness of the Victor-Strigoi thing, or Lissa's darkness. Actually, I wasn't exactly sure what it was.

"Damn it," I muttered.

I wanted to crawl back into bed, but that wasn't an option as I swung my legs over the edge, feeling the bitingly cold air. I shivered and rubbed my hands over my arms to create some warmth. Carefully, I opened the door—the matron was busy reading something—and snuck into the bathrooms. I let out a breath as I studied my appearance and splashed some water onto my face.

After that, I slipped back out and into my room. I snuggled back into the blankets and closed my eyes….

I was still exhausted, but well rested when I finally woke up. It was dark and no sign of sunlight poured into the room. Shocked, I shot up, glancing at my clock and swore. It was way past time for me to get up. I had overslept and had only ten minutes to get ready, get breakfast, and get to my first class. I was still swearing as I got up and pulled out a tank top, hoodie, and some jeans. I packed my backpack and stuffed my workout clothes into the bag.

I raced out the door and into the cafeteria. They were just closing up breakfast, but I managed to grab a donut and eat on the way to Stan's class. Shit, Stan…He was my least favorite guardian instructor and we fought a lot. We weren't on the best of terms anyway, so me always being late didn't help matters either.

I got there just in time, sliding into my seat beside Mason. He gave me a questioning look and I shook my head as Stan started talking. I was cold and shivering, though I had on a jacket to chase away the worst of the chill. It was still strange that whoever was messing with me, would be a Strigoi since my eyes had almost turned red, the memory of the red tinting the normal brown fresh in my mind.

"Miss Hathaway, would you care to enlighten us about using the technique when you're around Strigoi?" He crossed his arms and waited.

Crap. I hadn't been paying attention and he knew it. "Um, the technique?"

He waited and I racked my brain for something I would normally say. "Well, since you keep saying 'the technique', I have no idea as to which technique you're talking about, Guardian Alto."

His expression hardened. "If you'd been listening the past few minutes, you would know."

I shrugged. "I was paying attention. Maybe you should pay more attention," I retorted.

"Out!" he shouted, pointing at the door.

I gave him a sweet smile and walked outside. I slumped against the wall and considered ditching classes for today. But, if I did, Kirova would surely kick me out of the Academy and ruin my potential position to guard Lissa after graduation. I didn't want that no matter how much I hated the Academy and classes.

I lowered my head onto my knees, suddenly feeling tired and just drained. My eyes started to close, but a presence made my head shoot up, causing my vision to swim. I squinted and then blinked, finally coming to rest on Dimitri's tall form. He was standing there, but offered a hand which I took.

"I just want to ditch everything," I muttered more to myself, though he heard.

"You don't have to. You're excused for the rest of the day."

I looked up at him. "Why?"

He let go of my hand and started walking. I took that as a cue to start following him. "I decided to give you a break today. You need it. You look tired," he observed.

I sighed. "I'm fine."

He glanced at me, but didn't say anything else. I wasn't sure where we were going until I realized he was taking me to my room. Getting into bed really sounded like a good idea. I unlocked the door and bolted to my bed, collapsing on top of it. I was exhausted, but didn't want to sleep; not with Dimitri here.

"Don't you have work to do, comrade?" my voice was sleepy and the words almost slurred.

"Later. Headmistress gave me permission to stay with you for a little while."

I stretched out and patted the spot next to where I was lying down. He didn't hesitate this time and sat down while I stretched out next to him, resting my head on his chest. Strong arms wrapped around me and I reveled in the warmth. I may not know for sure if he loved me or not, but I did know I felt completely and utterly safe with him around.

I let out a breath slowly, feeling relieved. "Dimitri?" I murmured.

He tilted his head down to look at me. "Yes?"

"Do you love me?" Normally, I would be embarrassed and try to cover it up, but I was too sleepy to really comprehend what I was saying to him.

He was silent for a little while before softly answering: "Yes, Roza. But, it'll get in the way of protecting Lissa. We'll be focusing on each other instead of her."

I sighed again. "I know."

His face softened as he studied me and ran a hand through my hair, combing it gently. My sleep schedule was all messed up lately, and the gentle, soothing motion of him running his fingers through my hair lulled me to sleep.

"Little dhampir!" Adrian called.

I rolled my eyes. "I don't get a break, do I?"

He grinned. "Why would you need a break from me?"

"I don't know, maybe it's because you're annoying?"

He laughed. "Are you sure it's not my charm?"

"I'm positive."

My mood changed and a question burned on the tip of my tongue. Adrian saw this and looked at me knowingly. "Adrian…when you get into my dreams…do you…notice anything weird?"

He narrowed his eyes in thought. "Now that you mention it, a little bit." All traces of teasing were gone and he was serious. "Something's messing with you, but I can't figure it out. Although the thing that surprises me is that the person doing this is a spirit using Moroi…"

I was taken back. "What? No way. That's not possible. The other night, there was a red tint to my eyes. It looked like Strigoi red and…." I couldn't finish it.

Adrian just shook his head. "You told anyone else?"

I fidgeted. "Just Dimitri."

His lips pursed. "Well, I guess since you and Belikov are close…But, don't tell anyone else yet, and don't tell Lissa. Who knows? Maybe this will just blow away."

I wanted to believe it, but something told me this was only the beginning of things.

**I meant to make it longer…I'm just too busy now. Orientation, band gigs, school starting up next week, etc. It's been a super duper busy week. And for those of you who like My Guardian, I kinda hit a road block with that. XD **

**Anyways, hope you like this chapter, though it's kinda slow and not exciting…**

**SONGS:**

**Leave Out All The Rest-Linkin Park**

**Heartless/The Truth-Kris Allen**

**The Call—Regina Spektor**

**And many more I can't remember**


	5. Chapter 5

I was jolted awake. I opened my eyes and saw Dimitri sound asleep in a chair near my bed. I wondered why he was still here. Normally he would have left to avoid any attention that might suggest our relationship was more than student-mentor. It was a stupid rule that dhampirs couldn't be with each other while working as guardians and living in the Moroi world. I hated that and wished it were otherwise. Yet, at the same time, I knew it was necessary in order to protect the Moroi and keep the dhampir race alive.

After talking with Adrian, I felt a little better in knowing that two people I could trust knew what was going on. I wasn't particularly thrilled with Adrian knowing, but I also knew he wouldn't say anything if I asked him not to.

I slid out of bed and stood in front of the chair for a moment before Dimitri's eyes snapped open. He looked surprised to see me, but sat up straighter.

"Rose?" he questioned.

I tilted my head to the side, pursing my lips. "Why are you still here? I mean, not that I'm complaining, but usually….well, you're not here. Besides, don't you have the day off?"

He slowly stood up. "I stayed with you for a little while. I figured I would leave after you fell asleep…." He didn't finish his thought and I didn't press him to.

I leaned my head against his chest and hugged him, reveling in the comfort and how loved I felt being in his arms. He held me tight for once, not pulling away. It was nothing to do with me always trying to seduce him. This…this was just someone in need of comfort from a friend or someone they were close to them.

"What time is it?" I murmured.

"It's a little after three. Why are you awake?" the last part was a sudden change and I looked up at him.

"I dunno. I guess I couldn't sleep." It was a lie. After my encounter with Adrian, something else had entered my dream. It was scary as hell and it had to do with me turning almost Strigoi like. I still couldn't make out the details: except I had killed everyone I had loved…Including Lissa and Dimitri…

I shuddered and Dimitri's voice brought me out of my reverie. "You and I both know you're lying. What happened to you trusting me?" his breath was warm on my face and I would have killed to kiss him at that moment.

I looked away from his eyes, knowing he had caught me. "It was a dream. Not exactly a nightmare, but not a pleasant dream either…." I went on to explain to him everything I knew about the bad dream. I was surprised to be spilling my guts, but then again, he was Dimitri. I could tell him anything.

He was silent for a moment before asking: "Do you know if Victor Dashkov is behind this?"

My shoulders lifted in a shrug. "I honestly don't know, Dimitri."

I let out a sigh and pulled away, suddenly grateful that it was Saturday and that there were no classes. I stretched out on the bed, feeling a wave of exhaustion settle over me. Sensing it, he came over and pressed his lips to my forehead, drifting to the door. I barely heard his "Goodnight, Roza," before he left, leaving me alone.

I crawled back under the covers, taking a deep breath and releasing it, hoping to calm myself down. I was still tense and waiting for the person to show up in my dreams, but eventually I drifted off with no problem….

"Rose!" Someone was calling my name.

I groaned and rolled over, pulling the covers over my head. _Rose, get up now!_

I checked the bond to confirm it was Lissa. Her feelings weren't dark or depressed, which was a relief. Instead, she seemed bouncy and brimming with exciting news if I would get up. Sighing, I cracked open and eye and found her green ones looking at me. I opened the other eye slowly and she grinned at me.

"Rose, you'll never guess! Headmistress Kirova gave us the okay to go shopping for the party Adrian's hosting later tonight. Almost everyone will be there," she clasped her hands together. "At first she didn't want us to go because of the whole safety thing and your behavior, but Dimitri convinced her otherwise."

I sat up now. "Wait, Dimitri did?"

She nodded. "Yup. So, since he's coming with us—and it's a Saturday—you can choose to use this as a training exercise or not. Your choice." She gave a shrug. "Anyway, we're leaving in fifteen minutes."

I shot out of bed. "Jeez, thanks for the heads up, Lissa."

She looked sheepish. "Sorry, it was kind of last minute…"

She left me to get ready and I searched for some clothes. We were heading out into the human world, so why not try some flirting? Dimitri would hate it, but he had made it clear we needed to focus on our jobs more than each other. He spent time with me, but now it meant almost nothing since I had come to grips that we would never get a chance to be with each other. It stung, but it would be nice to flirt again like I used to do.

Five minutes later, I left the dorm building wearing the only pair of dressy jeans I had, as well as a normal, but sexy T-shirt that hugged my curves and made them stand out. It wasn't violating the school dress code, but it was sure damn close to it. I didn't have any money on me, but Lissa was almost rich and usually bought me my things when we were living among the humans. After coming back, her account had opened up and she now had more money.

I sauntered outside, finding Dimitri waiting by a Honda Pilot car. Apparently, Christian was going too and had permission. I looked around for other guardians, but realized that Dimitri was the only legible guardian. Sure I was a badass novice, but I hadn't graduated yet. Lissa would need two guardians and Christian. Well, he was an Ozera…

"Are you coming?" I broke out of my thoughts and found Dimitri waiting, arms crossed. He wore sunglasses today to fight off the glare of the sun.

"Yeah, I am."

I rode shotgun and Dimitri started the car. "Why are you the only guardian here? Isn't Lissa supposed to have more?"

He answered me, eyes still on the road. "I convinced the Headmistress that we would be perfectly fine in the sunlight and that you could help out."

"Huh," was my reply.

The rest of the ride was silent as Dimitri drove to the mall and found a parking space. I trailed behind Lissa and Christian before instinct and years of training kicked in. Dimitri was obviously going to be the far guard, which meant I needed to get up there with Lissa and Christian. I gave them their space for a little while before Lissa smiled at me invitingly and motioned for me to follow her.

She was grinning as she took Christian's hand and led both him and me into a store. Christian waited while Lissa picked out some clothes and tossed them at me to try on. I protested, knowing I had a duty to fulfill.

"Lissa! I'm supposed to be guarding you! Not focusing on clothes and stuff."

She grinned at me, barely concealing her fangs behind her pretty glossed lips. "You'll thank me later when we won't get another chance to go shopping."

I sighed and grumbled, but knew she wasn't going to let it go. I didn't try them on, but I randomly picked some outfits from the growing pile Lissa was making for me. After another fifteen minutes of her throwing clothes at me, she finally settled on a gorgeous dress for the dance. It was a deep, dark midnight blue that looked stunningly black almost with some sequins on the band that wrapped around below the chest.

Christian's eyes widened when he saw that. "Holy crap. Lissa, please tell me you're not going to wear that."

It wasn't that bad. It did have a slightly dipping neckline that plunged down to the navel. The material was very clingy and would look sexy on anyone who had curves. Good God, it would look slutty on some people, but when Lissa held it up to me, I knew it looked good since I wore things like that.

"Kirova's going to have a fit when she sees Rose in that," observed Christian.

My eyes darted to Dimitri, wondering what his reaction was to the dress, and how it would look on me…

**There you go! Can you guys please review? I like hearing your thoughts on this, since I'm redoing it.**

**Also, I got an anonymous review from someoneyoudon'tknow. I have to say, I'm not like those people. I stick to what I started and try to finish it to the end. =)**


	6. Chapter 6

The dress was seriously killer. Dimitri's face betrayed no emotion, but I saw something spark briefly in his eyes before he controlled himself. I looked at Lissa and shrugged. She took that as her cue to take the dress and pay for it. While she and Christian headed up to the cashier, I sidled up to Dimitri sneakily brushing my hand across his. His fingers captured mine swiftly before letting go.

"Think Kirova's going to have a fit when she sees me in that?" I teased him.

Dimitri frowned. "She'll probably have a heart attack when she sees you in that thing."

I dismissed that with a wave of my hand. "Yeah, yeah. It's technically nothing school related and it is Adrian's party. He's technically a guess."

He shook his head, a small smile pulling at his lips. "Yes, but technicalities don't matter, Rose."

I made a face at him and then met up with Lissa as she came back with the bag. She handed it to me happily. "Okay, so we're done with you, since you don't look like you really want to shop…" she appealed to me pleadingly.

I rolled my eyes. "I'm supposed to be protecting you, not focusing on shopping!"

She smiled. "You're too devoted. Just like Dimitri. Maybe we should get him something…?" she pursed her lips and thought about it.

Inside I panicked slightly, wondering if she noticed anything strange between us. "What for?"

"Probably being a really good guardian?" cut in Christian.

I looked at him weirdly and he held his hands up in surrender. "Hey, just saying. Belikov's good and I'm glad you and him protect Lissa."

I grinned. "Aw, I'm flattered you think so."

He scowled and me and Lissa laughed as we walked ahead and outside the doors to the car. Mysteriously, Dimitri appeared to open the door for Lissa and then slipped into the driver's seat. Since we had to make it to the mall during human hours, we'd been up almost all night—or day. Both Moroi fell asleep almost right away, leaving me and Dimitri to talk.

"So, are you going to Adrian's party?"

He drove for a little bit before answering me carefully. "I'll be on duty, yes."

"So, you'll be there."

He sighed, but didn't answer me as he continued driving. Snow covered the entire area and it almost looked pretty if not annoying by the way it clung to the windshield and made it harder to see no matter how good our dhampir vision. I peered through the windshield, leaning forward. "Jeez, how much harder is the snow going to fall?" I commented.

Dimitri squinted slightly through it as well. By now, enough snow and rain was falling that it was covering the whole window. The car skidded and Dimitri swore violently. Of course, when I looked back, Christian and Lissa were awake. I saw heat briefly melt away just enough of for us to see that we were headed for a ditch on the side of the road. I heard Dimitri utter another soft curse in Russian before jerking on the wheel. The storm was becoming violent and I got no signal with the radio. Figures.

"What the hell is up with Mother Nature?" I complained. "Does she hate us or something?"

Nobody answered and Dimitri brought the car to a stop. No other cars passed us since we were on one of the back roads that led to the Academy. Dimitri got out, braving the cold and I twisted in my seat to talk to the Moroi.

"Hey, Lissa, think you could heal us when we all die?" I joked.

She glared at me. "That isn't funny, Rose."

Of course, Christian laughed, putting an arm around her. "I think she was just kidding."

"Half the time I think she's serious about breaking something or the dying part," groaned Lissa.

The door opened and Dimitri got back in, taking the keys out of the ignition. I gaped at him, wondering what the hell he was doing. "Hey! What happened to driving?" I exclaimed.

He gave me a sidelong glance. "Either we can stay in the car or take a short trip to a motel nearby?" the question was directed to all of us.

"We'll be able to make it," declared Christian.

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, goody."

We unbuckled our belts and opened the door, getting blasted in the face with cold winter wind. I was all suited up with a thick down jacket to conceal my stake, a lighter hoodie inside, with all the necessary winter things like gloves and a hat.

Lissa and Christian wore lighter material, but Lissa was shivering, her teeth chattering almost. I shrugged off my thick down jacket and placed it over her shoulders. She tugged it over her, looking slightly surprised and tried to protest. I refused to listen and looked around me, taking note of my surroundings, knowing dark was closing in and that Strigoi would be out and about sooner or later of not already. The Moroi were seriously at risk with just me and Dimitri and I was a little surprised Dimitri would actually take that risk.

At the same time, I knew it was a mistake to question his motives. He was vigilant and looking around at the surroundings like I had been doing. He met my eyes briefly and I saw something spark in them when he realized I wasn't wearing my heavy jacket. Before I could make it out, though, he turned back around, head swiveling every few seconds to make sure that nothing would attack us.

Of course, I had to remind myself that I would be able to detect if Strigoi were nearby. Somehow, I got nauseous whenever they were close and it helped a great deal to know when they were coming since they were after all the undead.

We finally hit the small town with plenty of lighting to keep us safe for now. I was so caught up in my own thoughts that I almost didn't feel Dimitri's familiar presence next to me. His coat draped around me suddenly and I realized just how frozen and cold I felt. My body had been numb up until now, but with the warmth of the duster seeping into me, my body started to thaw out, leaving me cold and my teeth chattering.

Sympathetic and guilty feelings poured through the bond, and I jerked my head up. "It's not your fault," I called softly, and though she was ahead, I knew she heard me.

She didn't say anything and I went back to just focusing from not giving in to the freezing cold temperatures. The snow was still blowing into my face and ice covered some parts of the sidewalk we were on. But that wasn't what got me happy; the sign for the motel was just around the corner and I let out a sigh of relief when we finally stepped into the warm building.

I went to stand with the Moroi while Dimitri checked us in. "Rose, you should've just kept your jacket," Lissa protested.

I shrugged, still wearing Dimitri's duster. "Seriously, I'm fine. I chose to give you my jacket anyway—"I said shaking my head when she offered it to me—"so keep it, I have plenty of things to keep me warm.

Christian was still silent as Dimitri came back with a couple of key cards. He handed one to Lissa and Christian and kept the other as we all walked down the hall. The Moroi parted at the room next door and disappeared inside, and I hissed at Dimitri, "Are you really going to let them stay alone?"

He chuckled, something I didn't expect. "I'm not that stupid, Rose. Go inside and you'll see what I mean."

I grabbed the card and slid it into the slot, shoving the door open and gaping when I saw another door in the wall that lead into their room.

"Rose!" Lissa waved. "how about this? You guys can still keep an eye on us!"

I smiled weakly. "That's great."

She said nothing more as the door shut just very slightly, but still enough where it would open in action. I pulled the duster off of me. "Rose, your clothes are soaking wet," Dimitri murmured.

I looked up at him. "I don't have anything else…." He sighed, pulling off his coat he had on and removing his shirt and tossing it at me.

My cheeks flamed at the sight of his naked torso. My teeth were still chattering and I found it hard to talk. "Y-y-you don't h-h-have t-t-t-to do t-t-t-t-that," I got out.

HE shook his head. "You'll need it more than me. Go run a hot bath and stay in there for a while. I'm afraid you're going to get hypothermia if you stay in those clothes." He shook his head worriedly.

"W-w-will do, c-c-c-comrade."

I turned and moved into the bathroom, shutting the door, but not locking it. I ran some hot water, sighing in relief when I had stripped off all my clothes and lowered myself into the tub. My cold, clammy skin eventually began to warm up and I took the time to think about everything that had been happening….

Lissa's magic was getting stronger and she was learning on how to expand the bond. Not only that, but she found out that she could somewhat dream walk like Adrian now. She could also create illusions which had happened once when Jesse Zeklos and his group had attempted to get Lissa to join a stupid group. Her compulsion used to be pretty powerful, but nothing like what she could do now. While the group had scattered when I had showed up, Lissa had taken the opportunity to make him see spiders crawling over him.

Back then I hadn't known what she was doing or why she was acting that way. Eventually, I realized that it was the darkness taking over. Using the bond, the darkness had jumped from her to me, allowing Lissa to heal in the infirmary, yet causing me to get out of control. I had just about punched that asshole's face, but Dimitri had come just in time and stopped me immediately, whispering to me that it wasn't worth it.

Everyone recovered, but I still held a grudge against them. I couldn't even believe I had once found Jesse hot and good looking before and snuck off with him. Once again, Dimitri had busted me there. That was when I really noticed the attraction wasn't just a stupid crush on my half; it was building into something more. That was the day I made a vow never again to let those things distract me and to become a better guardian. That was the day when Dimitri said he would give me extra sessions along with our normal ones to help me become better….

"Rose?" he knocked on the door.

I startled, cursing myself for not being on guard. "Yeah?"

"Are you all right? You've been in there a while."

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm coming out."

I pulled the plug and watched as the water drained away. I was shivering and cold still since the warm water was no longer there to keep me warm. Every single article of clothing was soaked and definitely not comfortable to wear. I sighed and picked up Dimitri's shirt gingerly, inhaling his familiar aftershave. I slipped it over my head and was relieved to see that when I poked my head out the door, everything was dark. My eyes found Dimitri relaxing on the bed and my breathing hitched as I realized this would be the first time out of school I would actually be in the same room as him.

**I am SO SO SO SORRY! I meant several times to update! I tried my best. I made it longer than usual since I haven't updated anything in a while. My excuse: School just started up again last week. xD **

**SONGS:**

**Boots On-Randy Houser**

**I Like It-Enrique Iglesias**

**Beat It-Fall Out Boy**

**Forgiveness-Sarah McLachlan**

**Headstrong-Trapt**


	7. Chapter 7

"Rose. Roza. Time to get up." Someone shook me lightly and I mumbled something incoherently, pulling the sheets back over my head.

"Rose, it's time to go. You can still make the party if we hurry."

I opened my eyes and found Dimitri leaning over me. His face was so close we could kiss. As if sensing this, he leaned back, though. I sighed and glanced at the clock; I had only been out for a couple of hours.

Yawning, I asked, "Where's Lissa?"

"She and Christian are waiting in the lobby. If you hurry and get dressed, we can drive back to the Academy and be on time for the party."

I frowned, considering this. The snowstorm didn't look any better, but it had stopped snowing to the point where we could actually drive. "Wait, what happened to the car?"

He turned and opened the door before answering. "While you were sleeping, I had someone bring it back to the parking lot. It works and we should be at the Academy soon."

He shut the door softly without another word and I stretched, swinging my legs out of bed and throwing on my clothes, which were now dry. I shrugged into my jacket and found all the shopping bags gone. Obviously, Dimitri had taken them back out to the car.

When I was dressed, I slipped out the door and shut it behind me, cautiously moving across the dark halls. Call it training, but I was still alert for Strigoi no matter what. No nausea, which was a good sign as I joined Dimitri and the Moroi downstairs.

I rubbed my eyes and yawned again as we started walking. The cold air blasted me in the face as I stepped out, finding our car in perfect shape, and waiting for us in one of the parking spaces. "Okay, is this some kind of joke?" I demanded.

Dimitri didn't answer, of course and Lissa's words floated to me from the bond. _Rose, are you okay?_

I shot her a smile. "Of course I am."

Lissa didn't look convinced, but let it go for now. Through the bond I could feel her trying to read my aura. I sighed and slipped out of her head, opening the car door and slipping in up front with Dimitri like usual. I checked the time on the dashboard and realized that we most likely missed the party by now since we had stayed overnight.

I twisted around in my seat as the car pulled out of the lot. "I think we missed the party, guys."

Lissa shook her head, a smile on her pale pink lips. "Actually, no. Adrian visited me and said he had to hold off on it because of the snowstorm. It's back on tonight since the weather's better."

I rolled my eyes. "Of course."

Back at the Academy, we sorted out our treasures and went our separate ways. Dimitri had gone in the direction of the main building to check in with Alberta. I swung my bag around, trying to shove the darkness down so I could actually enjoy myself.

I unlocked the door to my room and found it just the way I had left it…except something didn't feel right. My sharp sense picked up on a faint smell and I saw that someone had left the window unlocked. I immediately went into guardian mode and scanned my whole room, checking every little corner until I found nothing.

Sighing, I moved to hang up the dress, only when I turned around, there was a shadow right behind me. Someone I did not recognize or hear…

**I'm sorry it's short and all, but I wanted to at least have something for you guys. You've all been so patient! =) I still have things to solve out and life sucks like usual, but I think I can safely say I'm back! **

**SONGS:**

**Everytime We Touch-Cascada**

**I Hate Everything About You-Three Days Grace**

**Far From Home-Five Finger Death Punch**

**Just a Dream-Nelly**

**Getting Away With Murder-Papa Roach**

**Blind-Lifehouse**


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